Wayne Rooney had his hand in two goals on his MLS debut as DC United beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1.

England’s record goal scorer was named on the bench for DC’s first game at Audi Field, but the number 9 made an impact after coming on for the last half hour.

DC were up 1-0 thanks to a Yamil Asad strike after 27 minutes, and Rooney nearly had a dream start after replacing Darren Mattocks on 59 minutes.

But his first touch – a free-kick 30 yards from goal – struck the wall.

The 32-year-old was involved in the buildup for the second goal of the game on 69 minutes, the debutant laying off the ball on the edge of the box in a swift move which was capped off by US international Paul Arriola.

Arriola’s second and DC’s third was assisted by Rooney, laying the ball off to his teammate who took two touches before firing past keeper Brian Rowe.

The former Manchester United man also had a few chances to get on the scoresheet himself – he was first to a cross into the penalty area but Rowe was equal to the header, and he attempted a lob late in the game which sailed safely over the bar.

Vancouver got a consolation through Alphonso Davies late into stoppage time, as Rooney finished the game with four attempts and one shot on target in front of a capacity crowd of 20,504.